Clubhouse Raid: Guns Not Necessary

[Police were prepared for a whole lot of drama yesterday afternoon when they gathered in front of a Hell’s Angels clubhouse] on 3rd St. with a hostage negotiation van, a detail from the emergency services unit, an armored truck and snipers stationed on rooftops across the street. But this was all for naught since they ultimately obtained a search warrant and entered the building with a raging collective case of crime-fighting blue balls.

Why all this build-up? The search is part of an investigation into [an injured woman who may have been beaten by ][members of the motorcycle gang this Sunday night]. As of last night, only one man was in custody but had yet to be charged with any crime. An anonymous 911 call led officers to a woman in her mid-40s who had suffered head injuries and was lying outside a New York Law School dorm at 81 E. 3rd St., near the entrance to the clubhouse at 77 E. 3rd St. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital where she underwent surgery and is said to be in serious but stable condition.

According to the New York Sun, police sources say witnesses told investigators that they saw some members of the Hell's Angels carry the woman out of the clubhouse and leave her on the sidewalk at about 11:30 p.m.

[The AP reports] that members of the gang say cops are overreacting with the big gun show. Apparently, back in 1999, the city agreed to pay the Hell's Angels $450,000 in the case of a 1998 raid on the club's headquarters, which resulted in 14 arrests though most of the charges were subsequently dropped. [](http://flickr.com/photos/elph/)